Hello,
I’ve been buying small size diamonds for too long without really
knowing how to do it properly. The challenge is getting good
objective advise about the actual market value of small size diamonds
(i.e. 1.0mm to 2.0mm round full cut). Does anyone know of any service
that will give me a grading and market valuation of my diamonds? I am
paying $285/carat for what the seller calls “G/H color SI quality”,
making no reference to cut. I don’t think I am getting what I am
paying for. I don’t want a GIA certification as that does not work
with small size diamonds. I want to send 5 carats of my selected
diamonds to a service that is familiar with diamond market values and
will give me a grading and market value. I’m looking for someone
that does not have a conflict of interest, someone that will give me
objective advice that does not stand to gain from the advice given
except in the form of maybe a consulting fee. Who know the the small
size market inside out, including how to grade and purchase whites,
white naats, top light browns and top silvers? Which of these will
give the biggest bang (fire) for the buck?
Any advise, suggestions, direction would be much appreciated.
Thank you,
Dennis
I'm looking for someone that does not have a conflict of interest,
someone that will give me objective advice that does not stand to
gain from the advice given except in the form of maybe a consulting
fee.
I use http://www.gemlab.com. He is local to me, but he does work
with people all over the country helpping people find out what they
got on Ebay or from brick and mortar stores is really worth. He is
local to me, and I have been using him for many years. He is accurate
and honest, and his product is appraisals, sells no gems or jewelry,
no conflict.
Richard Hart
dennis,
have you considered consulting with an independant appraiser? i call
on a local (but widely recognized) appraisal company for info.
perhaps there is, in your locale, an appraiser who can advise you on
what you are buying, based on what he/she sees in the industry.
another suggestion would be to have diamonds memo-ed in from as many
dealers as will do this for you. thiat way, you could make an
educated, objective decision about what you are getting vs. what you
pay.
for what it’s worth, i typically use vs/f-g melee, and have found
that below about $450/ct, the cut consistency is compromised. most
recently, i paid $575/ct for this quality, and the make was
exceptional…“ideal”, in as much as melee can be qualified this
way. usually, i pay more like $525/ct for this quality, with good+
makes.
matthew crawford
www.MatthewDesigns.com
I can’t imagine that you are getting what you are told you are
getting. $285 a carat is pretty cheap, might just be the cut that is
low quality though. I suggest that you buy some diamonds from someone
like Stuller or Namano. Namano is in Atlanta and sells dependable
goods. I think that Si goods are around $595 a carat for 2.6mm and
smaller. A friend of mine, who is an excellent jeweler, with GIA gem
training etc. says that for her small goods she buys at Stuller. She
is very picky so they must be good.
By buying 2 or 3 stones in the sizes that you use you can look at
some standards and grade your own stock. At least this will give you
some idea as to what Si GH ought to look like.
Good luck. Dennis